Running for a cause: Man plans 5K for Asheboro’s Shelter of Hope

Running for a cause: Man plans 5K for Asheboro’s Shelter of Hope

ASHEBORO — After he volunteered to join the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and was rejected because he could not pass the physical, Lansing Brewer started running.

Well, overweight at 238 pounds, he started walking and worked up to jogging.

Then the North Carolina native ran and ran and ran.

Eventually he had shed nearly 100 pounds. Along the way he discovered that he enjoyed running — and that he was pretty good at it.

A few years later, he ran in the Boston Marathon. In 2003, he ran solo across the United States and in 2007 was, at 60, the oldest of 20 elite runners selected for an around-the-world relay called the Blue Planet Run.

The purpose of the initiative was to raise awareness of the world’s water crisis and to help provide safe drinking water for 200 million people who did not have it. The run covered 15,200 miles, crossing 16 countries in 95 days.

Throughout his running career, Brewer has run to promote many causes.

These days he’s living in Asheboro and planning a 5K walk and run for April 5 to raise money for Asheboro’s Shelter of Hope, a homeless shelter for men off West Dixie Drive. He plans to have a wheelchair division and a short Tot Trot for children when the main run is finished.

Pastor Jeff Looney and the congregants of Totally Committed Ministries, a nondenominational house of worship, opened the shelter in January 2010 in space adjacent to their sanctuary.

Brewer, who is 67, has a bunk there.

He moved to Asheboro a few months back because he has family in the area and he plans to move to an apartment soon. He wants to give back to the place — and the people — who welcomed him with open arms when he needed a roof over his head.

“You can see the effect this place has on some of these guys,” Brewer said in an interview earlier this week. “I just see it as a transition for some of these guys to get their feet back on the ground as well. These guys are like brothers to me. I love each and every one of them.”

He recalls a decades-ago conversation with his daughters when they were young. They were watching a television program that showed the poor living conditions of some people.

“I was trying to explain to them what happens to people and I said, ‘There but by the grace of God goes any of us.’ ”

He thinks many have a narrow, stereotypical view of people in shelters.

“It’s not like the picture of tattered, bearded-down-to-your knees ‘Duck Dynasty’ guys,” he said. “Behind this face is a loving, kind person when you get to know him. Most of these guys are working. If they haven’t found a job, they’re working on getting a job. I just think this ministry shelter is a loving family.”

Chris Martin, who is the Shelter of Hope director, said he intends to run in the 5K and is encouraging shelter residents to participate.

“It reflects what the shelter stands for,” Martin said. “It’s about helping people, leading them back on the right track of life. On a run, you’re on a track right there. You keep running, there’s victory there. I always tell people, leave the exits alone. Stay on the right track.

“It’s what they call inspiration. This will probably help them find something they’ve been seeking. If they can accomplish this that means they can accomplish anything.”

Brewer agrees.

“It’s not about how fast you are,” he said. “It’s about getting out there and trying and completing it.”

Brewer’s life has seen many transitions.

In elementary school he had joined the band and learned to play the tuba. He continued his musical studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro — and earned money while in college by playing for the circus when it made stops across the Tar Heel State.

He was a high school band director for a time, then a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America, and finally an extension agent for Clemson University, directing 4-H programs and Keep America Beautiful programs in the Palmetto State.

Brewer’s love of music remains.

He can be found several days a week pedaling his bicycle across town to play piano — he never took lessons, but taught himself to play — at various nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Asheboro. His repertoire extends from hymns to show tunes.

“It brings back a happy place for them,” he said.

He also said he’d be happy to speak to area groups — schools, churches, civic clubs or other organizations. He can talk about his life and times, about health and fitness, about the environment (he is a fervent anti-litter advocate), and more.

“There’s all kinds of answers to the problems of people if people will take the time to get together and think,” he said.

Meanwhile, in addition to planning a fund-raising run for the Shelter of Hope, Brewer continues to try to cobble together support for a run across the African continent, from Cairo to Cape Town, to spread the message about safe drinking water.

His legs are not getting any younger.

But Brewer believes he still has what it takes.

“I’m one that has to have an adventure in my life,” he said. “I need a mountain.”

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The early registration fee for the 5K is $20; it will be $30 the day of the race. Checks should be made to Totally Committed Ministries and mailed to 1215-A Shana Lane, Asheboro, NC 27205. For more information, call (336) 318-0012.